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Rue began tapping her foot Prim wouldn’t notice but Uncle Rabiffano would rateful for the interruption "Very well, if you persist in o meddle"

"As if I needed pack sanction"

"Convinced of that, are you?" Rabiffano tilted his head eloquently

Sohter of an Alpha olf

Deciding she’d better act before Uncle Rabiffano changed his lided away, a purposeful waft of pale pink and black lace She hadn’t Priood ih atop her head and was crowned by a wreath of pink roses – Uncle Rabiffano’s work fro He always made her feel pretty and… tall Well, taller

She paused at the refresh a plan

At the card room door, Rue reached for ait about herself like a satin capelet Personalities, like supernatural shapes, came easily to Rue It was a skill Dahter," he once said, "I should encourage you to tread the boards, Puggle dearest As it stands, we’ll have to make shift in less public venues"

Thus when Rue nodded at the footman to open the card room door it ith the austere expression of a bossy e

"But, miss, you can’t!" The ood man," insisted Rue, her voice a little deeper and

The footman was not one to resist so fir lady He opened the door

Rue was hter of men without women The door closed behind her She looked about the interior, narrowing in on the many snuff boxes scattered around the rooe, and gold, seereatin here?"

Rue was not, as ht have been, overset by the presence of a great nureat number of men – some of them the type to confine themselves to card rooms at private balls, so eyelashes and gossip in measures to match the ladies The men of the card room were, in Rue’s experience, much easier to handle She dropped her mother’s personality – no help from that here – and reached for someone different She went for Aunt Ivy htly silly, but perceptive, flirtatious, unthreatening Her posture shifted, tail-bone relaxing back and down into the hips, giving her walk e forward, eyelids slightly lowered She gave the collective gentlerin

"Oh dear, I do beg your pardon You mean this isn’t the ladies’ embroidery circle?"